Athena

Athena (2022)

Runtime: 99 minutes

Directed by: Romain Gavras

Starring: Dali Benssalah, Sami Slimane, Anthony Bajon, Ouassani Embarek, Alexis Manenti

From: Netflix

A movie I never knew much about until “play” was hit last night. All I knew before it was added to my Netflix queue a few days ago was that it had an opening 10 or so minutes everyone loved. Somehow, what this was actually about never passed by my eyes, whether it be Letterboxd reviews or other media. I was perfectly content with this scenario, BTW. It was messageboard chatter which reminded me that there are several recent French action pictures that are on various streaming platforms; as this qualifies as one of those…

The opening 10 minutes was indeed as glorious as I had heard. The movie is shot in long unbroken takes (whether simulated or not) yet tricks were utilized to make the start of the picture look to be seamless as several characters are introduced who play a key role in the proceedings. To try and be vague yet reveal more than I ever found out beforehand, the action is set in a fictitious Parisian neighborhood as there is civil unrest over a young boy being killed by police.

At least in the United States, the past few years there have been HUGE moments where police brutality happened-sometimes resulting in death-and riots occurred. Like in the United States, race and ethnicity plays a part; here, it is a neighborhood full of minorities, plenty of them Algerian who are Muslim. This is the scenario here, except that it just so happened the boy’s older brothers are all involved in this conflict, albeit in vastly different ways. Indeed, it is different from the civil unrest that has happened in Paris the past several weeks-as of this review-over the government deciding without Parliament’s input to raise the retirement age.

The first two acts are a lot of fun as the tension escalates and we see the various parties-including a member of the French National Police attempting to squash the rebellion. The action is quite thrilling and while one key player seemed like a caricature too often, overall this was pretty badass between the plot, the characters, the sometimes bombastic score, & the overall operatic vibe. Then, the final act happened…. Several narrative choices were made & more than one modern movie-making trope which I don’t like was present. One day I should find a way to elaborate on those but those already familiar w/ this movie will know what one of those tropes was. It left me deflated and is a crying shame as even with the final act this is still better than many of the Netflix original titles out there.

It is entirely unfair to expect director Romain Gavras to match the career of his famous father; hopefully if he continues to make more feature films instead of music videos for artists I abhor, he can stick the landing and avoid those bad tropes to create a memorable experience I can give a full endorsement to and not something like this, which has quite the noteworthy first hour then the rest peters out to a not entirely satisfying conclusion.

 

Bad Girls Go to Hell

Bad Girls Go to Hell (1965)

Runtime: 65 minutes

Directed by: Doris Wishman

Starring: Gigi Darlene, Charles E. Mazin, Sam Stewart, Gertrude Cross, Allen Feinstein

From: Juri Productions

A movie I enjoyed more for its stock jazzy score and interesting ending rather than its most salacious material. Before the Doris Wishman films leave the Criterion Channel at the end of March, I wanted to watch one of her most popular titles. Bad Girls Go to Hell is a tremendous title in general, but this was my first-ever “roughie.” That is sexploitation which is rougher, meaning more sadism and violence.

In this 65 minute piece, Meg is a young lady in Boston who has a boyfriend; after he leaves the apartment she suffers through TWO sexual assaults that are pretty gross. After a big moment Meg flees and heads to New York City, where life does seem like hell as she deals with more bad people, typically men. I could nitpick various aspects for sure yet this was quite the journey for Meg, at times surreal and usually provocative, whether it be titillating or horrifying due to the roughie moments.

There is a stock jazz score which I legitimately enjoyed quite a bit, an odd yet interesting vibe between all the dialogue being dubbed in later and Wishman’s unique editing style (expect to see many cuts of random objects, especially clocks), & a surprise ending-another director trademark-and this could be successful for those genuinely curious. Also, those in the niche that enjoy such movies should like this.

By the way, a late scene reveals that the setting is… right before Easter; how appropriate. Another Wishman film about to leave on the platform after tomorrow is 1977’s Let Me Die a Woman, a documentary about… transgender people. I have no problem with trans people and a review would reflect as such yet for a number of reasons, in this current climate—that could somehow court controversy somehow so I’d better not.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)

Runtime: 91 minutes

Directed by: Terry Gilliam/Terry Jones

Starring: The Monty Python Crew

From: Several entities, including… legendary rock bands?! More on that in the review

After an unexpected yet needed night off from motion picture viewing on Monday (among other things, taking a night off fit my schedule better) I decided to sign up for Netflix again after months away. This is another one of those movies I hadn’t experienced in at least 25 years so the time was right to hit “play.” By the way, it was not until today that I heard it was the 80th birthday of Eric Idle; choosing this last night on that platform was entirely by happenstance.

In my life not much footage from Monty Python’s Flying Circus has ever been seen by me; this kind of silly absurd humor is not always my bag-and I’ve known people who don’t like their schtick at all-yet at least with this irreverent clan, what they do usually amuses me. With Holy Grail, the film is definitely silly yet still is quite funny… right from the opening credits, the spoof Swedish subtitles and what that leads to. From there, all sorts of gags and ideas are thrown at the wall-many of them landing-as King Arthur, the Knights of the Round Table, and the quest for the Holy Grail are spoofed in a series of sketches. To say it’s “just a series of sketches” is not accurate, due to the number of running gags that appeared throughout, whether it be twice, on several occasions or often.

By now quite a few moments and lines have left their mark on pop culture and should remain in the lexicon for a long time coming—I am talking about such things as “it’s a flesh wound,” “what is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow”, “tis but a scratch”, among many others. Those still are effective although less-heralded moments also worked for me. This is on the anarchic side and has a lot-from animated bits to 4th wall breaking to even a brief musical number-but never became an irritant to me and thus, I now realize it took WAY too long to see Holy Grail again.

There were some things I learned between the last viewing and last night. Several rock bands gave money to this production as “the studios” weren’t interested. That may include Elton John but certainly includes Pink Floyd, Genesis and Led Zeppelin. Another thing revolves around a debate that happened back in the late 90’s, so long ago that the viewing was on VHS. There was debate over what the last line of the suspected witch was. Subtitles told me it was “it’s a fair cop”; one reason why we were all bumfuzzled about it at the time… what the hell does that even mean?! OK, I had some idea yet for all the old British programming I’ve seen in my life, that phrase is new to me.

Project Wolf Hunting

Project Wolf Hunting (Neugdaesanyang) (2022)

Runtime: 122 minutes

Directed by: Hongsun Kim

Starring: Seo In-Guk, Dong-Yoon Jang, Jung So-Min, Gwi-Hua Choi, Dong Il-Sung

From: Some companies who I won't even name here; I wasn't a fan of this movie

You know, I need to put my foot down and just not watch films like this no matter their online buzz. Most of you reading this won't have known this but long ago I discussed various “extreme” movies of the early 2000's and turns out, I didn't like any of them. That includes all those French Extreme horror movies, every movie in Park Chan-Wook's Vengeance trilogy (which is why I've never seen any of his other films no matter him turning to ripping off... er, I mean “be inspired” by Hitchcock) and haven't seen most torture porn movies or anything from certain European/associated with Europe directors-I'm looking at you, Haneke, Noe and von Trier!-even the films that aren't controversial in their filmographies.

I realize many on Letterboxd will vehemently disagree with the above paragraph, but at this point in my life, I'd honestly not even bother with such “difficult” directors or those movies that are “challenging” or are mostly based on shock value, as I feel Project Wolf Hunting was. What those movies do just isn't appealing to me so I'd rather be entertained by pictures that don't try to be “transgressive” or what have you. Personally, this was an ugly, unpleasant movie full of vulgarities, no character I could possibly give a damn about (even the “good guys” transporting the criminals from the Philippines to South Korea via cargo ship are mostly lousy human beings), idiotic character moments & the absurd over the top violence where EVERY would inflicted resulted in gallons of blood being spilled... some of you may love it, but personally I could not possibly have cared less.

Heck, this quickly became boring as there bizarrely was no tension as the prisoners began to riot; that didn't even change once something truly preposterous enters the plot and rips off its limbs. As the sound design didn't even work for me, the movie was just a massive disappointment and wasted what could have been a fun scenario. This doesn't exactly inspire further motivation into exploring was the Korean cinema scene is like... some of the films from the early 2000's are great yet I was burned by this and really burned by Carter, which was FAR more of a nightmare and had many more problems than this did.

Many of you who are interested in this will likely enjoy it far more than I did; good luck to you all. Personally, if I never again have to take that long agonizing walk of watching something that mainly serves (IMO) as an endurance test, it means that many right choices were made in the future.

Lisztomania

Lisztomania (1975)

Runtime: 103 minutes

Directed by: Ken Russell (no relation)

Starring: Roger Daltrey, Sara Kestelman, Paul Nicholas, Ringo Starr, Rick Wakeman

From: Warner Bros.

A rather lengthy review here, but for good reason. At least 15 years ago I saw a rather lousy print of this movie “via less than ethical means” back when this was quite difficult to track down; my reaction was “WTF?” and in 2023 after viewing it in not 4K but at least in good quality on TCM late one night (it was another DVR recording), my reaction hasn’t changed.

Ostensibly, this is a biography of 19th century Hungarian pianist Franz Liszt and how for a few years there was a hysteria revolving around his performances where the girls acted as if he was BTS or Harry Styles; that’s why he is still referred to as “the first rock ‘n roll star.” Seems like a ripe topic for a biopic, right? It starring an actual rock star in Roger Daltrey of The Who is even better. However, after an opening act which is weird-a small segment is narrated by a guy with a country twang and that is accompanied by appropriate music… “why did they do that?” is a question you’ll ask yourself often-but presents some basic facts about his life, it devolves into becoming REALLY weird.

After all, this suggests that fellow composer Richard Wagner hated his guts and wanted him dead when I don’t believe that was the case… nor I don’t believe he was in the Navy yet that was his clothing in some scenes. I know he wasn’t a VAMPIRE yet that was what the movie told us! At times it looked that Daltrey’s wardrobe was straight from his closet-historical accuracy was not followed, but you probably gathered that already. The one moment I did remember from long ago: the least subtle scene, which was that Liszt suddenly had a GIANT COCK AND BALLS, and this lasted for several minutes as the phallus was used in ways too befuddling to mention here. He was a womanizer with many girlfriends, you see…

This is really a series of surrealistic scenes broken up at times by some sort of actual story, where Ringo Starr is the Pope, Rick Wakeman is Thor, and well… depending on your religion you may think this is in real bad taste. I hate bringing this up as it is a spoiler, yet it seemed like something that I better mention for this is a truth of Wagner’s life: whether or not it was in tune with his contemporaries at the time in Germany, charges of anti-Semitism have been attached to him. It’d take way too long to explain here so I recommend a Google search, but the third act completely divorces itself from reality and Wagner becomes analogous to HITLER, again in unsubtle fashion. I do NOT know how I remembered only fragments of this most tasteless aspect.

This seemed like something I should mention… that was INCREDIBLY uncomfortable to me and I am a Gentile. Before you ask, yes this was played at 2AM on TCM for what should be obvious reasons. My wariness over the final act is why I can only say this was fine overall. As much as the insanity made me giggle in the opening hour, once you see the swastika and other Nazi iconography, it was much more difficult for me to have fun. Its questionable taste aside, that was not enough to personally ruin the overall experience for me.

For Russell fans (Ken, not me!), there are familiar players in small roles, and at least it was well made in terms of sets, direction and music. Oh yeah, the soundtrack-unlike the movie, no reservations here-is gloriously 70’s as Wakeman created synth versions of classical musical pieces alongside more traditional piano pieces, which naturally was a gas of a time for me to hear it all on YouTube after the fact. While I can say is the filmmakers were on drugs when they made this, undoubtedly this would have been better for me if I was ON drugs during viewing! In retrospect, on Friday night I’d have been better off pairing Phantom of the Paradise w/ the other 1975 Ken Russell rock opera starring Roger Daltrey…

Phantom of the Paradise

Phantom of the Paradise (1974)

Runtime: 91 minutes

Directed by: Brian De Palma

Starring: William Finley, Paul Williams,Jessica Harper, George Memmoli, Gerrit Graham

From: 20^th Century Fox

A delightfully weird movie, and somehow something I hadn’t seen before despite its director. Something like this very well could have rubbed me the wrong way or have been seen as too goofy or (especially) trying way too hard, a thought that has doomed me w/ more than one “popular” and/or “cult” movie. However, once I pressed “play” on the DVR of a FXM Channel recording and spent an hour and a half in such an odd world, this thankfully did work… despite the lack of subtlety present.

After all, this is a “rock musical comedy horror film” (a rather accurate Wikipedia description) which blends together such things as Faust, The Phantom of the Opera and other stories which won’t be mentioned because spoilers as the plot revolves around Paul Williams being an A-hole record producer and stealing the rock opera of piano player Winslow Leach. After a frame job and an accident he becomes The Phantom. At first I wasn’t sure about the movie; however, by the end I was sold. I realized there was supposed to be joy had at the incredible opening credits song, which is at least an all-timer in terms of earworms, and enjoy all the other insanity.

Combining such elements as 70’s De Palma, an electronic voice box, period fashion, groovy songs in several different genres, split screen effects, and the revelation that the music industry had (or probably has) the same issues present in Hollywood—no wonder this flopped at the time and only became a cult hit later. All the talent in front and behind the screen definitely helped with ultimately being won over; of course I was entertained by Williams, the cute as a button Jessica Harper and William Finley as poor Winslow but to think that Gerrit Graham was the highlight as the dimwitted wananbe rock star BEEF. That’s not slighting Graham at all—it was just not expected beforehand and that character was always a delight from his very first appearance.

To be perfectly frank, most actual rock operas I don’t love; after all, to list an example: in terms of Pink Floyd, The Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here are all-time classics to me as albums while The Wall has some great tunes but the rest I am “eh” on. However, this has so many quality moments in a memorable tale that is more than just borrowing from familiar works while at the same time taking the piss out of a business that likely needed skewering (the music industry) and this does deserve the cult audience it has.

Incidentally, I actually had a double feature tonight where I paired this with something I’d seen before, eons ago. No, not Rocky Horror, although that would work for me if I liked Rocky Horror more. Rather, it’s something else which did not prove to be as compatible in tone as expected, but more on that tomorrow.

Even the Wind is Afraid

Even the Wind is Afraid (Hasta el Vineto Tiene Miedo) (1968)

Runtime: 88 minutes

Directed by: Carlos Enrique Taboada

Starring: Marga Lopez, Maricruz Olivier, Alicia Bonet, Norma Lazareno, Renata Seydel

From: Tauro Films

A Letterboxd mutual praising the movies of Mexican director Carlos Enrique Taboada led me down the path to checking this out; so was its availability on Tubi. Taboada wasn't a name I recognized yet long ago I remembered someone on the Rupert Pupkin Speaks blog praising his 1986 movie Poison for the Fairies (like the title of this movie, pretty spectacular). Besides Fairies not being officially available for streaming, it made sense for me to look at his early career first. Wind is not only one of his more popular films, it is on Tubi; note that while you have to search for its original Spanish title Hasta el Vineto Tiene Miedo, English subtitles are included.

Comparisons have been made to the 1969 Spanish horror movies The House that Screamed; from what I know that seems like a natural pairing yet seeing TWO movies in a row featuring a nasty cruel headmistress of a ladies boarding school isn't for me personally! In Wind, Claudia is haunted by a nightmare involving a tower on the campus of their school and due to their miserable headmistress, she and her buddies are stuck on campus almost alone dealing with the ghost of a young woman on campus, who not only was a former student but is the subject of Claudia's dreams. There is also the headmistress, a female teacher on campus, and Josefina, a fellow student who is a stooge for the administration.

It's understandable how some would think this dull or even a bit irritating. Personally, headmistress Miss Bertrand was portrayed as so repugnant for reasons which won't be revealed in this review and if nothing else, the movie and the actress Marga Lopez succeeded in making me root for those silly young ladies that like goofing off and loathe the stern disciplinarian. The film never made me doze off due to those spunky gals, the atmosphere present throughout, the chilling moments at night when the wind howls-which precedes ghost girl's appearances-the music, and a location which does look charming, but only in the daytime.

Plus, the most memorable aspect was actually the shoehorned-in sex appeal scene for everyone that would get such jollies from “the sauciest” member of the group doing a striptease in front of her pals to a jaunty tune from a piano! Ostensibly it was also done as a troll job against prude Josefina but how blatant it was for the viewer does make me chortle. Or, perhaps we're supposed to read something more salacious into it and infer-ahem-titillating thoughts.

Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.

Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. (Gojira tai Mosura tai Mekagojira: Tôkyô S.O.S.) (2003)

Runtime: 91 minutes

Directed by: Masaaki Tezuka... among others

Starring: Noboru Kaneko, Miho Yoshioka, Mickey Koga, Hiroshi Koizumi, Akira Nagao

From: Toho

What a lackluster Fathom Events experience this was for me. In short, I went to my local cinema-for the first time in years-to see this presentation. Now, I don't know if to blame Fathom, that small theatre chain, Toho, or some combination, but besides starting a bit late, the picture was DVD quality and very dark.

When I got home, the 2014 Sony Blu-ray (which pairs S.O.S. with Godzilla: Final Wars) was popped in and not only was the image MUCH better, there was the revelation that while the film was presented in the cinema at 1.85:1, it's actually a 2.35:1 movie. Online sleuthing on Letterboxd and Twitter did not reveal anyone else noting this issue. I haven't heard anyone I follow on social media either complain about that so “my cinema” may be the explanation but remembering the whole “Fathom Events screwed up their showing of The Thing so badly it rightfully offended Mick Garris” debacle, who knows for certain. If that wasn't curious enough, one thing I noticed from popping in the Blu: that and the big screen prints are different, from the opening logo to all the subtitles.

Anyhow, while it's a major shame it looked so bad-at least for me-it was still nice to see some vintage kaiju action on the big screen so that plays no factor in my rating this direct sequel to Godzilla Against MechaGodzilla lower than that. It was rather that SOS wasn't as good in terms of story, characters, motivations, or even the kaiju action. On the other side of the coin, none of it I can say is “bad” and the kaiju action is still exciting so a solid 3 star rating is what I can give this.

In short: the Japan Self-Defense Forces wants to rebuild MechaGodzilla (wacky, given what happened in the last film) as Godzilla is still out there. Mothra returns and not only is the original Mothra film canon in this universe, a main character from that film returns 4 decades later and is played by the same actor-a very nice nod. There are various dramatics but that's the main details to know. While not one of my favorites in that universe, it at least was nice to see this with a crowd... a crowd which wasn't too lively although many will be charmed to hear that a dad brought his young son along.

Oh, and this Fathom Event including a presentation of last year's 6 minute short, Godzilla vs. Gigan Rex; that features CGI animation and a lot of people seemed to like it... I wish I knew why. It was just preposterous, a battle with Gojira vs. a phalanx of Gigan attacking him with new abilities, then there is a non-ending!

Bad Taste

Bad Taste (1987)

Runtime: 91 minutes

Directed by: Peter Jackson

Starring: Jackson and his closest buddies

From: Wingnut Films

Another movie watched due to a Letterboxd conversation. In this case, a mutual commented on my review of Cannibal Ferox and asked if Bad Taste was gorier than that. I hadn't seen Bad Taste in 20 some odd years and the memories were hazy by that point so my response wasn't definitive. I was then alerted later that the movie was on YouTube, and in not too shabby quality. What I recalled was that Meet the Feebles was more my speed, something I rate quite a bit higher... and I still do, which may say something about me!

Be that as it may, for something mainly shot on weekends over a 4 year period, Peter Jackson and his buddies created goofy schlock that managed to entertain. It's a yarn where members of a paramilitary force known as the Astro Investigation and Defence Service (yes, AIDS; the title of the movie is appropriate) investigate the case of a New Zealand town's residents all vanishing. Turns out, it's aliens in disguise as humans who are looking to conquer Earth for the sake of a new food supply. 

For all the flaws inherent in a first time filmmaker (if you discount The Valley, a short he made in 1976 while a teenager) creating something with his friends, the movie is I imagine far better than what many have created in similar scenarios. It has a campy plot which at least gives you action, laughs, and especially gore that is better than you'd expect. It has the requisite B-movie moments that people want-then & now-and still works for those that like gross-out pictures. 

While the plot is unsurprisingly threadbare at best, there are moments that make me glad there's a period documentary also on YouTube which discusses the making of this... there are some camera movements/shots which are very impressive considering the circumstances. Figuring out how it was filmed that the two characters played by Jackson interacted w/ each other for one scene wasn't too difficult, but I'd love to see how some other things were done.

Oh, and for the record: this movie is gorier than Cannibal Ferox.

Deadly Weapons

Deadly Weapons (1974)

Runtime: 75 minutes

Directed by: Doris Wishman

Starring: Chesty Morgan, Harry Reems, Richard Towers, Phillip Stahl and my new favorite stage name, SAUL METH

From: Juri Productions

A movie ONLY watched due to its director and it leaving the Criterion Channel at the end of the month... it was about time I discussed an early female director who while was almost always on the fringe directing sleazy genre entertainment outside “proper society”, Doris Wishman deserves credit for her time in the industry. She was the auteur of at least 30 feature films, no matter their quality or that many were sexploitation fair like this was. Writing and editing were among the other roles she had in creating what I understand were unique creations. In 2021 the Criterion Channel added some of her work to its lineup; it's finally leaving that platform at the end of March so I went with one that had an absurd premise.

Like its ostensible sequel Double Agent 73, star Chesty Morgan is the draw. Of course that's a stage name, and Chesty is the most apt name. You see, it was at least claimed that her measurements were 73-32-36! I can only say that they were enormous... she apparently was a burlesque dancer, although you see some of that in this film and well.--“barely move around on stage then taking off her top” was apparently her act. Then again, I don't even know how she could move around-but enough puerile comments. 

The plot is that her beau engaged in some nefarious activities, two hitmen executed him while he was on the phone-so she heard the details of their identity, then she went off to kill them by... smothering them with her breasts after she surreptitiously drugged them! To the movie's credit, those that get their jollies from someone shaped like Chesty Morgan will be satisfied as she appears topless often and there is no shortage of gratuitous moments. It's all an odd experience which is helped by several elements, including stock music that was rather groovy or rockin' most of the time.

The acting is about as amateurish as expected, although nothing was bad enough to be repellent-although the obvious dubbing does take some getting used to. Naturally, Wishman had some acting regulars, one of whom was also in the makeup department—what a stage name he had: SAUL METH. I'll never not chortle at that. As for the director trademarks I've heard about, there was some interesting editing and shot selection-I've heard that focus on random items during dialogue scenes was a thing, and that is true—expect many shots of ashtrays & random body parts.. There also was some amazingly garish 70's décor and clothing; then again, the most garish sight was Chesty's beau in just his white briefs. That is because he's a pudgy middle-aged hairy guy!

While I didn't love this movie, there is no regret in finally discussing a unique director who learned everything on the fly. Because of her iconoclastic style, she is someone that is enough of a cult hero who has had a decent amount of her work preserved by the AGFA and Something Weird Video. Given the high-quality restoration work done on this print, I can only presume the rest was as well taken of given the elements available. In the future more Wishman will be experienced.

I Also Revisited How the West Was Won

This occurred last night, as I explain below: 

In a review a bit longer than usual, I explained how this was experienced in Cinerama… well, a simulation of it, anyhow. In Turner Classic Movies played this motion picture last night and it was only my second viewing. I wrote about the first viewing way back in January 2015, where it was a theatrical presentation from Cinemark. It started late due to projectionist incompetence but instead of dwelling on that, I’ll mention that my giving the movie such a high score at the time was mainly for the theatrical experience and enjoying a movie usually shot at a distance on the big screen.

Of course, the movie was filmed in Cinerama, meaning it was to be displayed on three curved screens at a 146 degree angle; some auditoriums across the world had this from the 50’s through the 60’s although it was a trend that never took off. The 2016 viewing was on one traditional screen with a huge aspect ratio which I understood was just not the same. At the time I had little to no knowledge of how Flicker Alley restored old Cinerama documentaries (featuring both nature and art) & presented those on disc with a simulated experience known as SmileBox where the aspect ratio is curved and the three images are stitched together almost seamlessly. Only last year did I discover that TCM started playing this version of the movie, which can also be found on its Blu-ray. Finally I was able to experience this Western epic in a more accurate simulation.

To copy and paste what I wrote in ’15 about this film which covers over 50 years in the Prescott family: It covers them through the 19th century “from them originally planning to move out West, to the California gold rush, the Civil War and the building of the Transcontinental railroad to a look at how dangerous life can be in the Old West.  As for me giving it such a high rating, there are several reasons why. I was genuinely entertained by the long-encompassing story and the various snapshots at how people wanted to migrate to that area of the country and all the troubles that happened due to this desire. It's long but I was certainly never bored.

Also, it has many different elements: action/adventure (there are some great scenes which represent this), some comedy, romance, drama, tragedy, melodrama, and even some songs are sung. There's something for everyone, and a tale that required 4 directors to direct all those segments. And of course, what an incredible cast. Among the names are Henry Fonda, Debbie Reynolds, Karl Malden, Gregory Peck, James Stewart, John Wayne, Eli Wallach, Harry Dean Stanton, Lee Van Cleef, Richard Widmark... what a collection of talent and even if their roles may be small they are all at least fine. As expected, you can't go wrong with such a lineup.”

In retrospect, originally giving this such a high rating may have been giving this a bit too much credit. On the other side of the coin, I was still enthralled the entire time by all the entertainment this gave me, from a quartet of directors that included John Ford.

Perhaps I am predisposed to what this movie provided but between the cast, all the visuals, the thrilling action scenes and the serious dramatic moments, the history of the 19th century… it may in fact be like catnip for me. Therefore I feel blessed that there was both the theatrical experience and this faux Cinerama experience.

Revisiting Leprechaun for St. Patrick's Day

 ... was a wise-if cheesy-idea. The movie is still goofy schlock that technically is pretty bad, although campy laughs are definitely present. Also, this starring Jennifer Aniston in her film debut will never not be hysterical. The shocking news of Lance Reddick passing away yesterday bummed me out like it did everyone else so the chuckles were needed.

Hennessy

Hennessy (1975)

Runtime: 103 minutes

Directed by: Don Sharp

Starring: Rod Steiger, Lee Remick, Richard Johnson, Trevor Howard, Peter Egan

From: AIP/Hennessy Film Productions

Perhaps not the most dignified movie to discuss on St. Patrick's Day, but... after not watching any pictures on Wednesday due to my busy schedule yesterday of attending two games of a college basketball tournament in Orlando (no details, as I imagine the vast majority reading this would have little to no knowledge of that anyhow) I had the time last night to check out a movie. Yes, the main reason was because two weeks ago on the Video Archives Podcast Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary discussed Hennessy, something I had no knowledge of beforehand.

It probably is controversial to talk of this today. After all, the movie revolves around the IRA, bombings, and a former IRA member (Rod Steiger!) looking for revenge for the accidental death of this wife and daughter (Patsy Kensit!) by... blowing up Parliament on its opening day when The Queen will be present. While not mentioned in the podcast review, you are supposed to think of Guy Fawkes. Also, I was surprised how much the podcast revealed of the plot; subsequently, my opinion will be more vague.

As people of all ages literally around the world read what I write on Letterboxd, an explanation of The Troubles is needed. The name is much too light for the conflict: Wikipedia provides all the details you could ever need but I will be brief. The Irish Republican Army wishes for Northern Ireland to leave the UK and join Ireland, while the Ulster Protestants wish to remain in the UK. The conflict that resulted in Steiger's family being massacred involved Irish youths in the midst of an uprising and members of the British military trying to stop them. The former throws a rock at a soldier, who stumbles and falls, discharging his assault rifle in the process. 

That's really all the viewer needs to know; I am 42 and as a youth remember all these conflicts, the IRA bombings in England (which also happened in the early 70's), the other side responding in kind... it was a big deal at the time. A '98 treaty didn't entirely stop it but it's definitely not as severe as before. Of course, I will NOT offer my opinion on The Troubles! Nothing good can come from that. The movie doesn't appear to take any sides: Steiger does his scheme independent of anyone else. The IRA wishes to stop him as his idea is a “holy crap!” which won't benefit them and so does Scotland Yard once they hear the scuttlebutt.

The movie wasn't as grand as QT and the gang hyped it up to be-a complaint I've heard with some other pictures they covered-yet at the same time was still good so there shouldn't be any grousing about it from me. There are quality performances from the main players... this includes a subdued Steiger, Lee Remick as one of Rod's friends who was already touched by tragedy before, Richard Johnson as the gruff bend the rules Scotland Yard detective, and Trevor Howard as his superior. It was fascinating trying to watch both sides stop him, along with discovering what Hennessy's scheme is, then how he plans to pull it off. It's a rather grim movie yet not so miserable it ever becomes an endurance test. Oh, and Patrick Stewart made his feature film debut here—with some hair!

A very memorable aspect is how the pomp and circumstance of the State Opening of Parliament was shown via stock footage, which includes Queen Elizabeth II speaking at the event. This is just a blind guess but when the filmmakers got permission from the Royal Family to use the footage, “The Queen being edited to look as if she's reacting to a big moment” was a carefully crafted omission. Despite a disclaimer at the beginning there was still controversy when this came out for a variety of reasons you can probably surmise, including Buckingham Palace being irate. Perhaps that is why the copy on Prime is in SD... is the film still too hot to ever enter the world of HD?

Sleuth (The Original)

Sleuth (1972)

Runtime: 138 magical minutes

Directed by: Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Starring: Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine

From: Palomar Pictures International

Sleuth was in fact a great way to celebrate Michael Caine’s 90th birthday yesterday. I’ve never disliked one of his performances no matter the quality of the movie he was in. That even goes for admitted paycheck roles like The Swarm and (especially) Jaws: The Revenge. As much as I don’t care for most of Christopher Nolan’s movies, one positive aspect is that many people even today are familiar with a great actor like him.

Recently, someone I follow on Letterboxd reviewed this and noted its presence on YouTube in acceptable quality. As that’s the best way to see Sleuth now-more on that at the end-there was no better time for a viewing. The fact that it could vanish at any time on a channel which has some relatively popular pictures is another factor but of course a birthday celebration was perfect.

Laurence Olivier is a successful author who invites Michael Caine to his sprawling rural estate, featuring a house full of games & bric-a-brac; turns out, Caine is the lover of Olivier’s wife. He knows this, and… to reveal much more would be a crime. In fact, the tagline on the film’s Letterboxd page contains a massive spoiler. Instead, I will be vague the rest of the way; the movie is rather obviously based on a stage play, which wasn’t a negative. The movie is all about the two leads and as expected, both were excellent in their roles.

Sleuth is not about the believability of the plot or what happens. Rather, it’s the fun the viewer has in watching two great performers do their thing along with trying to decipher what is going on and what turn the plot will take. Also, what an incredible script from Anthony Shaffer, adapting his own play—just for the acres of unforgettable, memorable dialogue full of creativity. Olivier proclaiming himself “a sexual Olympic athlete” is far from the best turn of phrase but it was the one which made me laugh the hardest. Oh yes, there are also dark humorous moments, along with some rather peculiar ones.

Of course this has a remake which I understand is far inferior to the original yet that’s the one easy to find; AFAIK none of the words from Shaffer’s script appear in the remake, so that’s one reason for me to avoid. As for why this version of the play is impossible to find in good quality anywhere-let alone legally stream-is the dreaded “legal disputes” which has prevented a proper release in high quality. Now that is clownshoes ridiculous… on the other side of the coin it can be accessed for free on YouTube for everyone. Don’t let the 138 minute runtime turn you off; at least IMO the long investment is well worth it. As this was the final film of Joseph L. Mankiewicz, Sleuth has to be one of the best director’s finales there ever has been.